1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rotary piston x-ray radiators, and in particular to a leakage radiation shielding arrangement for such an x-ray radiator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rotary piston x-ray radiators, particularly for use in medical apparatuses, must be shielded corresponding to regulatory requirements. In the known x-ray radiator described in DE 196 12 698 C1, for this purpose the radiator housing is designed as a radiation protection housing in order to shield against escaping leakage x-ray radiation, in addition to allowing the usable radiation to exit the housing that is necessary for the actual exposure of a subject to be examined. Moreover, for rotary piston x-ray radiators it is known to apply a material that significantly attenuates the x-ray radiation (such as, for example, lead) on the inside of the x-ray radiator housing in the regions to be shielded.
An x-ray radiator with a cathode arrangement and an anode arrangement rotating in a uniform vacuum chamber is known from EP 0 935 812 B1, wherein the vacuum chamber is formed by a cylindrical side wall as well as a cover and a base wall. The side wall, cover wall and base wall are fashioned from radiation-shielding materials, making the vacuum chamber relatively heavy.